Smelly BG freetimes

[philbee]

We've been using BG freetimes for about a month and they are starting to smell quite weeish even after washing. Label says to wash at 40, so I do that with a prewash but it's not really doing the job. Any advice? Can I do them on a higher temp periodically? Or use something to shift the smell?

I do a strip wash once a month with my BGs.

If they are really bad, a week out on the line (24 hours a day, in all weathers) should do the trick.

How do you do a strip wash? Will try that. We can't really spare them for a week as they're the bulk of our nappy supply.

I find doing another couple of rinses at the end of the wash helps.

I strip wash them on a 60 degree wash with a teaspoon of biological powder. Then a 60 degree wash with no powder. Then a 40 degree wash with no powder. Then out on the line overnight.

How much powder do you use for a normal wash? Detergent residue has a tendency to smell like wee as soon as it's wet again. When I was using detergent (Eco egg now) I would wash on the longest wash I had (40/60 depending on soiling) with a small amount of detergent (half the recommended dose or less) added to the prewash cycle, plus a final rinse at the end. Its worth keeping an eye on your rinse cycle to see if there are any bubbles in there (there shouldn't be) You need less detergent in a soft water area than a hard water area and I add a few drops of tea tree oil to the softener draw which acts nicely as a sanitiser and scent. That might help long term with smells after doing a strip wash!

It might help to give your nappies a sniff when they're wet after a normal wash - they should smell clean but you shouldn't be able to smell the scent of the detergent

I also find that our BG (not freetime) need a longer 40 degree wash as the standard wash, plus occasional stripping, etc. The short washes (an hour or so) that most washing machines do just don't seem to do the job. I use the extra wash most times.

I also periodically (3-4 times a year) soak my inners in bleach overnight, but obviously not an option on an all in one.